Albany Episcopal Bishop Rips Christian Leaders Who Refuse to Name Jesus at Ecumenical GatheringsOur Christian faith and religious liberties are under attack, Says Bishop William Love
Only Jesus died for the sins of the world. Not Abraham, Mohammed or Buddha
We should not be ashamed of declaring Jesus as the only way to heaven, he said

The Episcopal Bishop of Albany, the Rt. Rev. William Love, ripped Christian leaders who seemed unwilling or unable to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, while offering a prayer and asking God's blessing on people gathered for a service.

"I was amazed at how much creativity went into making vague references to our Lord in the prayer and blessings without actually saying His name. It was all I could do to keep from standing up at the end of the prayer and saying, "His name is Jesus!"

Bishop Love, an Evangelical Catholic, is one of a handful (literally) of orthodox bishops still in The Episcopal Church who will not permit same sex marriages or openly gay priests to minister in his diocese.

In a letter to The Albany Episcopalian, Love said he realized that while an inter-faith service is not just for Christians, with Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc., in attendance and not wanting to do something offensive, Christians have tragically come to believe that mentioning Jesus' name in public, or praying in the name of Jesus Christ during an inter-faith service should be avoided in order not to offend non-Christians.

"Yes, we need to be respectful of people of different faiths, and not try to beat them up or force our Christian faith on them, however, we should also stand firm in our faith, not hiding our faith in Jesus, but rather sharing it in love," he said.

Love said that contrary to what many Christians have been led to believe, Jewish and Muslim leaders have more respect for Christian leaders who are strong in their faith, than those who hide or deny their Christian faith. Love accused Christian leaders of "tap-dancing" by Christian leaders to avoid mentioning Jesus by name. "The Jewish rabbi and the Muslim Imam shared their faith openly and unapologetically. Should Christians do any less?"

Wading in on the cowardice of these Christian leaders who are afraid or unwilling to speak of Jesus in public for fear of offending non-Christians, or being looked down upon by an ever-growing secular anti-Christian society, Love cited Jesus who said about those who acknowledge Him and those who disown him. "Whoever acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaver. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." (Matt. 10:32-33)

"The Lord calls us to remain strong in our faith, even when it is not popular or potentially dangerous."

Love cited other verses from the Book of Acts where Peter and John were pushed to silence, "But Peter and John replied, 'Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you or to Him? You be the judges..."

Love said there are those in our generation (both within and outside the Church), who, like the religious leaders (in Scripture) are attempting to silence the Church and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Sometimes it is very blatant through the passage or misinterpretation of laws regarding the separation of Church and state, or the threat of lawsuits designed to intimidate and silence the Christian voice. Often times it is more subtle under the guise of not wanting to offend or embarrass non-Christians. Whatever form it might take, the result (if successful) is the same -- the Good News of Jesus Christ is not being shared.

"It is important that we recognize what is going on and not fall further victim to it. Our Christian faith and religious liberties are under attack. Throughout the western world and here in the U.S. (a country founded on Judeo-Christian values), Christianity is being more and more marginalized. The question is--what will we do about it?""

Love cited the Christian Hymn, "Stand up, Stand up for Jesus..." and said we should be like the apostles Peter and John and be filled with courage, conviction and holy boldness of the Holy Spirit that "we cannot not help speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20)

"While we need to be respectful of people who come from different religious backgrounds, we also need to be careful not to buy into the lie that all religious are essentially equal and that they all lead to heaven because they don't. Abraham did not die for the sins of the world. Mohammed did not die for the sins of the world. Buddha did not die for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, incarnate, is the only One God who died on the cross paying the price for the sins of all the world. It is only in and through Jesus Christ that we can be saved and share in God's heavenly kingdom."

Love said that for Christians Jesus is the only way to heaven, but people of other faiths have their own equally valid way to heaven, may sound nice, be inclusive, and the "politically correct" thing to say, it isn't true, if in fact, John 14:6 is true. We can't have it both ways.

Jesus has given us the Great Commission commanding us to go forth to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists and people of all faiths.